Welcome to the new year for books on my blog! To be honest, I have had more DNF (did not finish) books in the last few months than ever before. I think it is me not necessarily the books, so I hope I will get back in my reading groove soon. Also, if you're a regular blog reader, you might notice I changed a few things about my review format. Let me know what you think. Here's a look at my January books...
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Amelie is a young woman living in London who goes from having nothing to being a part of the jet set crowd. She even marries a millionaire. Then she and her husband are kidnapped and the suspense story goes from there. I have really enjoyed this author in the past, but this book was a miss for me. I wanted to finish the book to find out what happened, but really didn't care much about the characters or plot. This book has mixed reviews, so some readers might enjoy it more than I did.
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In this mystery novel, Ffion Morgan investigates a death in a lake community on the border between Wales and England. This is the first book in a future series. The police procedural has a slow pace with lots of characters. It wasn't my favorite book from Mackintosh, but I'm interested to read the next book in the series. I really enjoyed the setting in Wales with plenty of cultural information, in addition to hearing the Welsh language on audio. The book is set on New Year's Eve, and that is also when I read it. Despite the slow pace, I liked the relationship between Ffion and a fellow detective. Interestingly, the author lives in Wales on a lake, just like the setting of the book. {BONUS: two interviews with the author here and here}
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I always love a "rich people behaving badly" book. This family drama/suspense novel fit the bill, leaving me thinking of the tv series Succession. Harriet is a young author who is engaged to a seemingly perfect heir to an old-money fortune in New York. The family plays a bizarre series of games, and it is hard to figure out what is reality and what is a game. Some scenes left me wondering "what just happened here?" and were pretty unbelievable. Overall though, the book was highly entertaining, with a full audio production including sound effects.
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In this locked-room thriller, a group of friends and family spends a weekend in an isolated luxury cabin. There is a storm coming, a large cast of characters, and lots of creepy details that come up. I had to pay attention to keep the storylines straight, but this kept me on the edge of my seat til the end.
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Here's the winner for the month! I absolutely loved this character-driven story about three people dealing with grief in Pennsylvania. Their lives connect in unexpected ways, and they find healing. Don't be turned off by the grieving aspect of the book...I found it to be hopeful and loved the writing. Books that delve into the joy and grief found in ordinary relationships and everyday life are always my favorite, and this one will stay with me for a long time. It will be one of my best books for the year!
Picking A Quiet Life up from library today!
ReplyDeleteClaire MacKintosh and B.A. Paris are always hit or miss for me. Some are great, others are not. I saw A Quiet Life somewhere and thought it seemed really depressing.
ReplyDeleteOhh thanks for sharing- need to add some to my queue!
ReplyDeleteAdding A Quiet Life to my holds!
ReplyDeleteYou read a lot of books this month Tanya. I will look up these books.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the book review! Just put A Quiet Life on hold at the library :)
ReplyDeleteI agree on The Last Party. I just got The Family Game and haven't read it yet. And A Quiet Life is on my list.
ReplyDeleteI'm adding A Quiet Life to my list!
ReplyDeleteI just downloaded the Libby app to my phone today so I was specifically looking for audio suggestions (some books just are better read where I can flip back and forth to look things up but some are much better as audiobooks)... and I found a few to add my list! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! I'm going to check out A Quiet Life now!
ReplyDeleteDownloading Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six to my Kindle right now!!
ReplyDeleteLauren @ Don’t Mind Our Mess